I think there should be a front page headline in the Voice that I finally, after years of trying, laid eyes on an owlet nightjar.
It is a gorgeous bird that I have driven hundreds of miles over the years to attempt to spot. This magical moment occurred a long way from the Bellarine Peninsula, in Ouyen. I was lucky enough to partake in an organised birdwatching tour with Mallee Tours run by Ricky Marks, who has lived in Ouyen all his life. I had the best day out, and thoroughly recommend Mallee Tours to anyone who wants to explore the north-western region of our state.
Besides a tiny owlet nightjar flying out of a hollow and then posing on a nearby tree branch, in a moment that had me thanking the little bird profusely for it’s bravery, I also viewed many Malleefowl, Regent parrots, blue bonnets, Mulga parrots, emus, inland thornbills, red-lored whistlers, and had a close encounter with a crested bellbird, that I heard calling but couldn’t see in the dense foliage.
Ricky has also had Major Mitchell cockatoos nest behind his house for the last 30 years, and he showed me the tree hollow, but the cockatoos remained in the hollow.
On the long drive to Mildura I looked for raptors, and saw very few, which was disappointing. I really worry about the numbers of raptors in Victoria following the two well-publicised poisoning episodes over the past few years, and it wasn’t until I returned to the Bellarine Peninsula that I saw a wedge-tailed eagle.
In Mildura at Red Cliffs I was lucky enough to see a peregrine falcon that landed on a tower when I was at the lookout. When I looked at my photos I realised that the peregrine only had one leg and talon, and the remaining talon was really oversized to compensate for the lack of two functioning limbs.
I was wondering how a peregrine falcon might lose a limb, and maybe it was caught in a trap or farm machinery. Nevertheless the bird seemed to be thriving.
Fortunately, I’ve received a few wonderful emails from Bellarine locals about bird sightings in the local area.
Susanne from Wallington sent me a photo of some New Holland honeyeater chicks in a nest located in some Lomandra rushes besides the dam on her property. Susanne also told me that her back paddock/garden is just thriving at the moment, and there are so many birds, particularly small birds.
The rain has resulted in a bumper bird breeding season.
Carole from St Leonards said: “Seen some wonderful birds around Lake Lorne. I graciously gave way to mother swan leading five babies along the footpath and also enjoyed seeing another swan with three babies in amongst the reeds, also a gang of motley teenagers with mother and father swan in control. There were also Pacific black duck babies, chestnut teal babies but what amazed me the most was an island of royal spoonbills. I started counting and stopped at about 50 on one side only. There were others strolling through the reeds on the shoreline. I was entranced with one blue-billed duck male, who sailed quite close with the sun making his beak vivid in the sun. The male and female dived for food all the time I watched”.
This sounds like heaven Carole.
Carole also travelled to Bendigo to visit her daughter and of course her grandkids. While there she finally got some birding in, at Lyell State Forest near Axe Creek, where she saw and photographed a painted honeyeater, fuscous honeyeater and yellow-tufted honeyeater. I haven’t seen a painted honeyeater, so loved receiving Carole’s email.
Kevin sent me an email saying that he has seen hundreds of straw-necked ibis flying around the Bellarine and wondered if there were greater numbers of these birds around this year compared to other years. Kevin also photographed the Pacific gull at Barwon Heads, when the tide was out.
He looked for migratory shorebirds, without seeing any. Kevin also had a recent trip to Lake Modewarre that was similarly unrewarding, as despite the winter and spring rains there was hardly any water in the Lake. How disappointing.
There are no bird teams in the AFL grand final this year, but the mighty Cats will keep many of the locals glued to the TV in the battle of the felines. Let’s hope it’s a ripper of a game.
Thanks so much for the emails and interest in the local bird life.
